Chapter 15: "Twenty Stan" (III).

Kai

What turns out to be a single insult grows more into a fight between the two people. I was crying my heart out trying to get Stan away from the lifeless Hayes that he had punched dozens of times. The other people around us just watch the commotion that happened, scared to even interrupt Stan and in the end, both Stan and I were forced to get out of the bowling centre.

"Fuck that place! It's not even good at all!" yelled the raging twenty-year-old adult whose now acting like a dissatisfied toddler being pushed out of the compound.

I had to follow what was being ordered to us in order to not make any other scene that would cost me my whole life reputation. I didn't have a big reputation but least I take care of what's so little of a reputation.

All he did when we entered the car was saying how he wanted to beat the shit even more out of Hayes. The only thing I could do for him was to nod and nod with an embarrassing smile because all of this had got even worse between me and Hayes. It would be even difficult for me to even see his face. I should quit my job and find another company...

Although... I should have realized that this Stan is not the one who would give up without a fight. He's much rougher than any other Stan I had encountered... and to think this was the Stan that told me he doesn't want to burden me.

Now, I was tending his little wounds on his knuckles in front of the pharmacy. Which I had to buy some medicine first to do so.

"Calm down... you're acting like both a kid and an old man," I scolded, pushing his hand down to the bench to keep him from shaking due to his poignant anger.

"I Am! I am trying to take deep breaths as you asked me to," He replied, wincing every time I put rubbing alcohol to his wounds. "And stop going away from me! This is just rubbing alcohol,"

"It hurts!"

I scoffed. "You're didn't feel hurt from a fight, but you're hurt from this liquid? Grow up, Stan," I criticized, pulling him in which then he stops wiggling and stay put while I mend his wounds. He grows silent too which makes me can't help but glance at him to see why he was quiet. Which brings me to a face combination of upset and sadness. Not at me, I presumed, but towards what had happened to him and earlier.

"Ha... your seventeen-year-old self said that you wouldn't try to burden me and yet... here you are," I continued, making him frown even more to my statement.

"I said that?" He asked. "Yeah... a couple of days ago," I replied. I took a glimpse of him cursing himself for what he had done but to me, it doesn't felt like it's his fault.

"I do remember that-,"

"But even so, I love that you stand up to protect me from getting a homophobic slur," I cut in, having to stop looking at me with growing wide eyes. "Really?"

I nod. "Really,"

He scratches his head, smiling shyly. "I thought you were mad at me... but turns out...you love me even more!!" He chuckled, giving a quick peck onto my cheek for saying that.

"Don't get ahead of yourself now," I chuckled, intertwining our hands together and rubbing his skin with my thumb. "You never know what would happen in the future," I hinted... throwing a silent remark about our break up. If only he was smart enough to know that.

"I am in the future! And look! We're stronger than ever," He cheered, grasping my hand tenderly. Then, a curious thought covers his face. "Which then leads me to one question. What do you think happened to my future self?" He asked, his eyes looking up to imagine something.

I never thought too much about that and since the present Stan never really answered my calls or my text. Maybe it was best to say this: "I think while you're here... the future you must've gone back to the past...,"

He raised his brows. "Yeah? Which means... he's seeing your twenty-year-old self right now, isn't it?" Woah... that could be true as well. Could it be that he was seeing my 'stupid pathetic insecure self that thought we have broken up for five years'?

"Yeah... it could be so...," I murmured, thinking about what I would say to him if he ever met me like that. What would I do? What would happen then? It had been pretty much known that when I was in college, I was more the type to shut people off and stay in my room either filling my time with books, surfing the internet or just laying down on my bed figuring out my wrecking mess of a life. There were just that much thing - well, fewer things going on back then that I just ended up being that way. Or maybe I was just too 'less social'. I wasn't anti-social... that was for sure.

We sat in silence thinking about it before my name was being called by. And I was shocked to hear that familiar voice that I haven't seen in a while even though we texted. The one feminine voice.

"Kai? Oh, my! It's been so long since I have seen your freaking face!" Liara shouted, going to me and slap my shoulder. She looked at me up and down before turning towards Stan with a funny look. "And what's with Stan looking all angst? And with the wounds... did he get bit by a cat?" questioned the female when I felt so miserable thinking that we have to go through this again.

The long stare that I gave at her made me feel like I was soon to be just dead. Literally. I haven't really thought about Liara while I was in this fiasco and the only person who I contacted with for this matter was only Charlie. In such a way that it needed to be tirelessly said again, I stood up and sling my arms over her shoulder, bringing her for a walk towards the nearest café to make this all go away instantly.

"Let us go to the café, and I'll tell you all about it," I smiled forcefully, gesturing towards Stan to come to follow us.

"Uuuuu, are two going to tell me that you're going to have kids!!! Little Kai and Little Stan would be so cute!!!" She gushed, having me to slap myself in the hardest way possible. "We're not doing that, Liara...," I muttered. Having kids is not what I would want... raising seventeen-year-old Stan was troubling enough to know I won't want one.

But one could change their mind.

"Alright then... I'll wait until you spill it to me,"

"Psstt!!" Liara coughed, holding onto her chest to support herself from coughing more than what I count was four times. The woman looked terrified for a second there but nonetheless, she gained her composure when she turns towards Stan who was covered with the liquid of her drink spat onto him.

Stan closed his eyes, his face scrunches to show how nauseate he felt towards the drink being spit at him. "Ew... why I'm the one getting the spew at?" He frowned, shaking his body to get rid of the water. I went up to get some tissue from the counter then went back to give it to him. "Clean up...,"

"Oops, sorry...," Liara apologized, bringing out her handkerchief from her purse for Stan to use. Then she went to look at me again, but with a worried face. "But... how? I mean... I know this is not a prank-,"

"Thank god...," I muttered, feeling relief that she didn't think all of this was a prank like Charlie felt.

"-and that Stan really do look younger than what he's supposed to... but this is really preposterous. But if this happens... there must be a reason why it happened. Do you know why?" She inquired, leaning forward with her arms lapping against each on the table - her eyes stare at me with much concentration.

I sighed exasperatingly, letting her know by my action that I don't even know either. "I don't know... if I would know... all of this problem would be solved anyway,"

She purses her lips, trying to think of something that would make all of this seems logical. When she did figure out something, she smiled. "I don't know...," Okay she didn't have something in mind. "-but... whatever the reason is, I think it's for the best between you two. Just thinking about what the reason is, is not something someone like me should know. Because I think it comes back to you two... specifically,"

Comes back to us? So she meant that all of this happens because of us?

"Maybe... I can't decide if I'm happy or saddened about this," I chuckled, earning a look from Stan when I said the word 'saddened' but I didn't look at him back. Having the young Stan here was nostalgic and so on but... I can't go through that memories again.

"Oh! I better get going... Felix said that he would be here soon. I think I'm getting engaged," She stands up, bringing her unfinished cup of chocolate latte drink together.

I widened my eyes in surprise hearing the latter sentence. "Getting engaged?! Isn't it too soon?" I asked while counting the times that they had been together.

"It's not too soon, dummy... we've been together for five years... I think it's best to tie the now rather than waiting, don't you think?" She said, triggering a memory in my mind about marriage.

"Y-yeah... I think so," I turn away, avoiding eye contact with her. I haven't told her about the break up, and I was not ready to tell it. But I knew that she was starting at me weirdly, and I just pretend that the outside view was interesting instead.

She pats my shoulder, then shaking her head with a small laugh. "You're just complicated, Kai... but thanks for telling me about this. I hope everything would go well... who knows, someone might just make a film out of this," I nodded at her, hoping for the best with this.

Then she glances to Stan. "See you later, Stan. And great job at punching the douche," She whispered the last part, gaining a smile from Stan himself.

"Thanks! See you later too, future Liara," The young man waved at her while she walks away - leaving the two of us at the table.

I just feel so down about all of this. There was just this many problems that kept piling one by one on my shoulder and I just don't understand why I am faced with these many predicaments. It gives me bad kinds of butterflies that doesn't give you that giddy lovey-dovey feeling, instead it just makes me want to vomit at one's convenience and I wouldn't even realize that I was. Even eating just doesn't seem like much fulfilment.

Stan notices my unfinished cake, then goes to put his hand on my forehead. "Are you okay? You haven't finished your cake, yet... are you having a fever?" I chuckled mentally - feeling grateful that he was acting this way towards me. It made me forget all of the pain.

"No... I think I'm just going to bring it home,"

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